When the Eagles picked Goedert with their first pick in April's draft, these were the situations many fans -- and, perhaps, Eagles coaches -- envisioned for Goedert. The rookie from South Dakota State made an early impression and impact with four catches for 66 yards in the Eagles' 31-14 loss to the Steelers.

"I thought I did pretty well," Goedert said. "There are definitely things I need to improve on, but that's kind of to be expected with the first game."

Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz was on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field early Thursday for an individual workout with tight ends coach Justin Peelle, and after going through pregame warmups, Ertz came out with the team wearing a visor, his helmet nowhere in sight. That meant Goedert got the start at tight end alongside Richard Rodgers.

And he did well. He excelled in run blocking, and aside from a dropped pass, Goedert appeared comfortable at this level as the Eagles targeted him early and often.

"I wanted to feature him a little bit," coach Doug Pederson said. "We were very vanilla, obviously, on offense. But at the same time, just wanted to get him into a little bit of a rhythm, he and Nate. He did some nice things for us. He's going to be a great addition to our offense and offensive package. Excited for his future and what he can provide offensively."

Goedert has an imposing frame at 6-foot-5, 256 pounds, and he's seemed to be taking to the Eagles offense rapidly during training camp practices. The Eagles quarterbacks have looked to him often in the red zone, where he provides a big target that is tough for both safeties and linebackers to contain.

The obvious use for Goedert seems to be in the red zone, but he also showed off a more well-rounded game. His long reception of 26 yards came when Sudfeld found him wide open up the seam. With some speedy wide receivers on the outside, Goedert could help put pressure on the middle of a secondary.

"Anytime I have the chance to get the ball, I like to," Goedert said. "Definitely in cases like that when the defense breaks down, it's hard to cover guys for so long. It's an opportunity where you can make a big play."

Goedert said he thinks he did "pretty well" blocking, which is an area he pointed out for improvement. During different plays, he's matched up against larger defensive linemen, and he's still held his own. That's a little different from what he did at South Dakota State, but he knows it's part of his development, and Pederson has noticed.

"He's a willing participant to block," Pederson said. "You've just got to continue to trust his technique, trust the coaching. ... It's good to see him stick his face in there and be physical with defensive and outside linebackers."

Goedert should get plenty of work in the Eagles offense. Ertz was one of the team's leading receivers, but the departed Trey Burton and Brent Celek also factored in the passing game in different roles. Goedert can pick up their production. It's waiting for him.

But he's not focused on that quite yet. One of his mistakes from his first NFL game was sticking with him.

"I dropped a ball early in the game," Goedert said. "In the NFL, you can always get better."